Chapter 15

Goddamn it!  Chief wanted to explain himself to Alise, he wanted to tell her that he didn’t mean she was a liability the way he’d made it sound.  Worse, he’d called her human, again!  He was always fucking up with words; it’s why he didn’t speak very often.  He told himself he’d make it up to her.  He vowed to make shit right later because right now the wolves were gathering to face-off against the Skin Walkers and this was his doing.  Regardless of what Mama thought, he’d brought the Walkers here.

Chief followed Cindy out the front door and felt a little of his trepidation ease as he spotted Monroe standing in the parking lot surrounded by a dozen shifters.  There was just one other blacked-out Hummer parked beside the one Chief had taken, and Monroe was flanked only by King Mulholland and RedKnife KillsPrettyEnemy.  Yeah, they were three of the baddest Skin Walkers in existence, but they certainly weren’t the army that Mama had predicted.  Thinking on that, Chief stalled on the porch and strained to listen to the forest because Mama was never wrong.  The woods were eerily quiet.  No bird song, no chatter of squirrels or chipmunks.  There was nothing.

Shhhhhit!

In front of Mama, Monroe’s eyes slid to Chief.

Taking the steps slowly, Chief slowly walked to where the Walkers stood.  Before Monroe could even begin, Chief said, “I vowed a year of my life.  Not hers.  I’ll come back, fulfill my duty, as soon as I have Alise secured.  But she walks.”

Monroe’s brows winged up, but his expression looked bored. 

King was the one who responded.  “That’s not how it works, Chief.  Alise signed a contract.  It’s binding.  She’s been afflicted, she stays at StoneCrow.”

“She hasn’t been afflicted,” Chief snarled.  “She’s been stricken.  There’s a fucking difference.”

Wordlessly, Monroe reached into the inside pocket of his suit coat and pulled out an envelope.  He held it out to Chief and explained.  “Not in our eyes, and not in the contract.  Anyone mated to one of my men stays on the Estate.”  His eyes went hard.  “And since you’re one of my men that makes her my property too.  It’s legally binding.”

“Legally binding to who?” Chief scoffed.  “You can’t share that shit, and I ain’t your fucking property.  Neither is she.  And if you think you can take her from me, you can…”

Mama held up a hand, instantly silencing Chief’s threat.  She’d been quiet all through the exchange, but now she slowly shuffled forward, Briggs sticking close to her side.  Eyes narrowed on Monroe, Mama canted her head and demanded, “Ask.”

The icy blue of Monroe’s eyes flashed as he regarded the elder.  And when he didn’t immediately do as directed, she huffed, “Ask for what you really want.  Stop wasting my day.  They are few enough as is.”

Gaze sliding from Mama to Chief, Monroe inhaled sharply, seeming agitated before he gave his attention back to the woman.  “Seems you already know what it is I’m after.”

“And why would she go with you?  She’s safer here.”

“We need her.”

Chief stared in confusion between the two.  His anger rising as he declared, “Alise isn’t going anywhere.”

“Not Alise.”  Mama smirked at Monroe.  “He’s here for Sha RedCloud.  Aren’t you Skin Walker?”

Monroe’s jaw ticked once before he tossed the contract he held at Mama’s feet and pointed a finger at it.  “This says I’m taking someone back with me.  It’ll either be Chief and Alessandra or…”  His words faltered as the house’s screen door creaked open. 

Everyone turned to look, and Chief did too.  He was curious as hell to see what woman was so damn significant that Monroe was willing to ignore Chief and Alise’s slight to him in exchange for this Sha.

Head covered in a forest green parka, a brown corduroy jacket sat over top and hung loosely off slight shoulders.  Strapped over those same slight shoulders were the thin strips of a canvas backpack.  The small figure with her head bowed slowly descended the stairs. Unlaced, black hiking boots clomped with each reluctant step.  Legs clad in worn jeans, scraped up knees peeked through holes that gaped open in the faded denim.

Nobody moved, nobody spoke.  No one had to.  As the woman approached, Chief couldn’t help but wonder if she was a woman at all.  She had to be a good foot and half shorter than Alise and Alise was a tiny thing.

Hanging out of the hood, framing a face that Chief still couldn’t see, two ebony braids hung nearly all the way down to the hem of the oversized gray sweater shirt showing beneath the parka.

The crunch of her tiny feet on gravel sounded loudly through the clearing as everyone waited.  When she was about ten feet from the group, Sha stopped and slowly lifted her head.

She looked young but not as young as Chief had presumed.  It was in the eyes, they seemed…old, tired.  Those dark brown eyes had lifted and were staring straight through Monroe as everyone took in Sha RedCloud.  She was pretty in a plain sort of way.  No make-up, no jewelry.  A split bottom lip that looked to be a few days old and a two-inch gash across one pronounced cheek bone were her only adornment. 

Chief wondered what had happened to her and instinctively wondered if there was someone he could murder for putting those marks on her sad looking face.

“You him?” Sha asked still looking through Monroe.

Pivoting his gaze, Chief was confused to see Monroe seeming unsettled.  Repetitively fisting his hands in a way that looked almost twitchy, Chief watched Monroe open his mouth and close it as if seeking words before his expression finally hardened and he stepped forward, holding out his hand. 

“I’m Monroe StoneCrow, Sha.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A pleasure to meet you?  Chief’s eyes narrowed on Monroe as if seeing him for the first time.  Who is this guy and what’d he do with the real Monroe?

Sha looked down at Monroe’s hand but didn’t shake it.  Instead, she turned to glance at Mama and said, “Dell’s here.  He’s pissed.”

Thirty seconds later, they all heard it.  The roar of an engine was echoing through the forest as a vehicle raced up the road.

Dropping his hand, Monroe breathed, “Christ.”

“Tell your Walkers to stay in the woods,” Mama ordered with a scowl.  “If they come in, we’ll be obligated to fight.”  She lifted a hand and squeezed Sha’s shoulder before shooting Monroe a sinister grin.  “And you will lose.”

“No one’s coming,” Monroe assured her.

Mama snorted and pursed her lips with a muttered, “They’re already here, Walker.  The forest speaks to me, so don’t you piss down my back and tell me it’s rain…”

Monroe held up his hands, and to Chief’s shock, he looked genuinely repentant when he said, “I meant no one’s coming any closer.  We’re not here for trouble, Candace.  We’re here for help.”

Before Mama could respond, a jacked-up, black Dodge came tearing through the tree-line and skidded to a rocking halt before both the passenger and driver’s side door were thrown open.

“What the fuck is this?” Dell snarled, eyes on Monroe as both he and his mate rushed toward the Walkers.  “How dare you come here unannounced and with a fucking army!”  Dell stalked right up to Monroe and went nose-to-nose, booming, “You here for a war, Walker?”

Both men were tall, bold, and powerful.  Both were leaders to their kind and both were willing to sacrifice everything for the good of those following them.

“Dell,” Mama stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

“They're here for me,” Sha said quietly.  Dell’s head whipped around, and she shrugged up one shoulder.  “It’s time for me to go.”

“No!” Dell thundered.  “You stay.  No one’s forcing this!  You’re safe here!”

For the first time since laying eyes on her, Chief watched as one corner of Sha’s mouth tweaked up in a half-grin.  “I’m not safe anywhere, Alpha.”  Her expression turned sad again.  “And it is time.”

Turning his back on Monroe, Dell crossed to Sha and reached for her hands before stopping himself.  “Sha?” he pleaded.

“Thank you for granting me sanctuary.  Thank you for keeping your word and keeping me safe.”

Dell huffed a humorless sound and jerked his chin toward her face.  “Doesn’t look like I kept my word.”

A small smile tweaked her lips.  “That’s on me, Alpha.”

He grinned down at her a moment before sobering.  “You don’t have to go, you know that right?”

She turned serious too.  “I know.  This is something I need to do.”

“When it’s time,” he pleaded, “You call for us.  We’ll come running.  I promise you that.  When you need us, we’ll be there.”

Sha nodded and stepped around him.  Ignoring Monroe, she headed for one of the Hummer’s before stopping to wink over her shoulder at Mama.  “And your days aren’t as numbered as you think.”